The ASX is set for a boost when it opens today, with futures suggesting it will rise 36 points or 0.5% to 7,963 points this morning.
What’s cooking in the US?
The Wall Street indices were all pointing in the right direction at the close of play yesterday, with the Dow Jones up 0.6% to 40,896 points, the tech-heavy Nasdaq closing up 1.4% to 17,876 and the S&P 500 wrapping up the day up 1% to 5,608 points.
In a similar vein, the greenback edged lower as optimism grew that the US economy could avoid a recession and cooling inflation might lead to interest rate cuts.
US investors had their sights trained on the juggernaut of the Democratic National Convention and the upcoming Jackson Hole Economic Symposium.
The Bloomberg gauge of the 'magnificent seven' megacaps showed the elite group increased by 1.7%, led by Nvidia, Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) and Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), which rose between 2.3% and 4.4%.
The Russell 2000 index of small firms added 1.2%. Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) gained 4.5% following the announcement of its US$4.9 billion acquisition of server maker ZT Systems, aimed at bolstering its artificial intelligence portfolio to better compete with Nvidia.
Seven & I Holdings, the parent of 7-Eleven, surged 28% after receiving a takeover proposal from Circle K's owner, elevating the company's market value to around US$38.5 billion.
McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) climbed 3.3% after Evercore ISI raised its price target to US$320 from US$300. Conversely, Estée Lauder dipped 2.2% following a disappointing sales forecast.
Inflation remains in the spotlight in the US as investors consider what the Fed might do next.
"We expect the chairman to convey on Friday that the Fed is likely to begin easing monetary policy next month, without fully committing to the size of the rate cut," TD Securities analysts wrote in a note on Monday.
Signs of a US recession seem to be, well, receding – analysts at Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) have lowered the risk to a 20% chance and could push it still lower if the August jobs report is healthy.
US Federal Reserve members Mary Daly and Austan Goolsbee hinted over the weekend at the possibility of easing in September, while the upcoming minutes of the last policy meeting are expected to underscore this dovish outlook.
Europe also rises
European sharemarkets also climbed on Monday, with all major regional bourses, including Germany, France, Italy and Spain, advancing between 0.5% and 1.4%.
Miners saw a 2% rise, benefiting from stronger metal prices, while retail stocks such as Zalando and JD Sports led gains, rising between 1.6% and 3%.
The continent-wide FTSEurofirst 300 index rose by 0.6%, while the UK FTSE 100 index similarly gained 0.6%.
Currencies and commodities
Currencies showed mixed performance against the US dollar. The Euro rose from US$1.1030 to US$1.1086, closing near US$1.1085. The Australian dollar increased from US66.78 cents to US67.32 cents, ending near US67.30 cents. The Japanese yen strengthened, climbing from 145.23 yen per US dollar to 146.69 yen, closing near JPY146.60.
The prospect of lower borrowing costs could not sustain gold's historic highs and the US dollar dipped against the euro, while the yen surged.
Global oil prices declined by more than US$2 per barrel on Monday, influenced by the potential success of Middle Eastern peace talks reducing supply risks and concerns over China's economic slowdown affecting demand.
Brent crude fell by US$2.02 or 2.5% to US$77.66 per barrel, while the US Nymex crude price dropped by US$2.28 or 3% to US$74.37 per barrel.
Base metal prices climbed, with copper futures up 0.9% on signs of improving demand in China, and aluminium futures surged 3.3% due to declining stocks in London Metal Exchange (LME) warehouses.
What's happening in small caps?
On the small cap front, which you can read about on Proactive throughout the day, the following companies are making news: